Gifted (United States, 2017)

April 06, 2017A movie review by James Berardinelli

Here’s a piece of advice: don’t watch a trailer for Gifted prior to seeing the film. This
warning has nothing to do with spoilers; the trailer makes the movie seem like
a cloying, paint-by-numbers story that no one in their right mind would pay
money to see. It does a disservice to a production that is more insightful and
intelligent than one would suppose based on the advertising and marketing
material provided by 20th Century Fox. Director Marc Webb brings the
same kind of deft craftmanship for drama and low-key humor that he exhibited in
500 Days of Summer and the result is
emotionally true and dramatically solid.

The story sounds more generic than it is. Frank Adler (Captain America’s Chris Evans) is the
guardian of seven-year old Mary (McKenna Grace), his dead sister’s daughter.
Mary is a prodigy in mathematics, following in her mother’s footsteps. Frank
decides that Mary, whose pastimes are focused on algebra and calculus, needs to
become better rounded socially, so he enrolls her in a public school. Her
introduction to the American education system is rocky but a helpful teacher
(Jenny Slate), impressed by her mathematical prowess, takes an interest in her.
Unfortunately, this is also around the time that Frank’s mother, Evelyn
(Lindsay Duncan), decides that her granddaughter’s gifts should be nurtured, not
marginalized. This sets up a custody hearing in which two competing
philosophies about parenting are pitted against one another. The screenplay is
smart enough to present a balanced view in the courtroom, illustrating the
positives and negatives of both. Although Gifted
must ultimately side with one over the other to provide a satisfying
conclusion, Webb and his screenwriter, Tom Flynn, are careful not to demonize
either.

There are two components to consider when discussing Gifted. The first is the subject matter,
which is uncertain territory for a theatrical release and generally more
appropriate for a less ambitious made-for-TV production. However, the decision
to establish a personal narrative in the wider context of a cultural question
makes Gifted more compelling than it
might otherwise be. Put simply, we are asked to contemplate the responsibility
of parents and society when it comes to the nurturing and upbringing of a
gifted child. Are we to allow them to “just be a kid” or is it incumbent upon
us to hone their areas of strength at the cost of other aspects of their lives
and personalities? There’s no easy answer to this question and Gifted doesn’t pretend that there is –
it simply puts a human face on the issue.

The second aspect of the movie is its emotional temperature.
Movies like Gifted often drift into a
quagmire of manipulation and over-the-top histrionics. For the most part,
however, Webb avoids this path. Yes, there are times during the final twenty
minutes when he gets sappy in a quest to provoke tears and provide closure, but
the film is solid when it comes to favoring grounded drama over soapy
melodrama. The decision not to make Mary an adorable moppet helps immeasurably.
She is presented (wonder of wonders) as a relatively ordinary kid who just
happens to be very smart.

Two sequences exemplify Gifted’s
level of insight and emotional exactitude. In the first, Mary spends a few days
in Boston with her grandmother. This could have easily been an opportunity to
portray Evelyn as a scheming witch. Instead, it presents scenes of tentative
bonding and affection and illustrates that, whatever her deficiencies and blind
spots, the older woman genuinely cares about her daughter’s daughter. Then
there’s a meeting between Frank and Evelyn in which the two are able to put
aside (at least briefly) their differences and interact in an honest manner.

Although Gifted is
closer to Captain Fantasticthan Captain America, Chris Evans bring his charisma
to the part of Frank and gives a sufficiently credible performance that we’re
not distracted by his higher profile persona as the First Avenger. McKenna
Grace, who has a boatload of TV roles on her resume but limited theatrical
exposure, is excellent as Mary – not too adorable, not too snarky, not too
shrill. She was age 10 when Gifted was
filmed but is believable as three years younger. Lindsay Duncan has the most
difficult role – being the putative antagonist whose motives are pure but whose
methods are questionable. Effective support comes from Jenny Slate as Mary’s
first grade teacher and Octavia Spencer as Mary and Frank’s neighbor.

Despite Evans’ participation, Gifted is a hard sell. The dramatic nature of the material limits
its overseas box office potential and the unglamorous story complicates the
domestic marketing. The trailer is awful but that’s often the case with serious
movies that can’t be reduced to two minutes of clips. Gifted deserves a chance. It’s emotionally satisfying and,
excepting some contortions during the final act, intellectually rewarding.